A LOT HAS changed for Andrew Porter since Leinster last faced La Rochelle. When the two sides met for a Heineken Champions Cup semi-final 12 months ago, Porter’s role in the squad was that of impact substitute, a powerful replacement behind first-choice tighthead Tadhg Furlong.
Introduced for Furlong after 56 minutes at the Stade Marcel-Deflandre, Leinster were already trailing 18-16 by the time Porter entered the action. They went on to lose 32-23 as the drive for a fifth European title ended for another year.
The two sides meet again in Marseille for this weekend’s final, but this time around, Porter travels to France as a key figure for Leinster.
The decision to switch Porter over to loosehead at the start of this season has helped take the Leinster pack to the next level; the combination of Porter, hooker Rónan Kelleher and Tadhg Furlong forming one of the most dynamic front rows around.
Yet while the pack certainly looks a more mobile and powerful unit than the one that lost to La Rochelle last year, the Leinster scrum has still shown the odd creak this season, the penalty count rising against both Leicester Tigers and Toulouse in their two previous European outings.
La Rochelle will surely target Leinster in this department on Saturday evening, and the province are fully aware of their need to tighten up around the setpiece.
“Particularly because it’s kind of my side of the scrum as well,” explains Porter.
“It’s not a huge kind of a pack thing that we are looking at. I’m trying to fix those mistakes that I have made in those last games against Leicester and Toulouse. It’s little small things. It’s not trying to reinvent the wheel here.
You trying to kind of fine-tune a few things and that’s what you will really need against La Rochelle this week with the pack that they have. We’ll have to be on top of our game in that sense, and myself in particular.”
Porter is no stranger to big European occasions, but this weekend’s final will still be a milestone for him. The former St Andrew’s College man came off the bench in the 2018 final win over Racing but missed out on the 2019 defeat to Saracens.
The move to loosehead has allowed the 26-year-old to establish himself in the starting team, but Porter admits he is still getting used to the switch.
“Every game you play, you are playing against different opposition that scouted you so they know exactly what to look for. Every game you play is going to be different and every scrum you hit is different in that sense as well, so you need to be able to learn out on the pitch as well. It is down to that moving across (the scrum) where every day is kind of a learning day, in a game and in training as well.”
The way Leinster play also places huge demands on their front row forwards. Not only are you expected to nail your setpiece work, there is a expectation that you can play a bit of ball and contribute in attack as well.
“It is about being an all-round player,” Porter continues.
I try to be that all round player in terms of off the ball work as well and not just carrying and tackling. My workrate and my fitness as well, I have been trying to fine-tune that to be the best player I can be. The way we train with the coaches, Stu (Lancaster) and Felipe (Contepomi) and Leo (Cullen) and the rest of them, they are always there to help push you in training and help develop your skills as well.
“It’s not just myself that has that expectation to be a better ball player and around the park. That’s the way we have come as a team where we want everyone to be comfortable on the ball and be good around the park as well because of the speed we play at.
“We need everyone to be good ball players and to be able to make their tackles as well so it’s not just the front row that is doing it. It’s everyone, one to 15. Sure you see Tadhg Furlong and how skilful he is, so I am just trying to work my way up to be as skilful as him some day, I hope.”
La Rochelle proved too powerful up front at the Stade Marcel-Deflandre last year, and the French side should again present this Leinster team with their sternest test yet this season.
“We would have played against a lot of them against France when we played over there this year (with Ireland). We knew exactly what their strengths are,” Porter adds.
“Look, all we have to do is play smart. That’s a huge thing about us. We might not be the biggest team in Europe but hey, we have some of the smartest players in the world playing.
“We will be trying to keep the pace of the game high. That’s something we really pride ourselves on. We know exactly how big those French packs are, that’s something they use with their power game in their scrum and maul. We know exactly what to look for. We can’t wait to get back out there.”
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